Holding Back the Tears (REWRITTEN)
by AquaDestinysEmbrace
Summary: Back before the community, before Carver, before the walkers, 12-year-old Anne Marshall was living a nightmare basically every day of her life. But now the real nightmare begins. When the dead rise and civilization falls, will she be able to cope with it as she tries to survive? (REWRTTEN prequel to Bad Things Will Always Happen)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so, I was looking over the first version, saw some errors, so I decided to rewrite it. Maybe this version will be better.**

 **Follow 12-year-old Anne Marshall as she struggles to survive the beginning of the end.**

 **I don't own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **I do own Anne Marshall**

 **Now, without further audieu, here is the rewritten Prequel to Bad Things Will Always Happen**

* * *

 **THWACK!**

I grunted from the hit as I hurtled to the ground, scraping my knee in the process. As soon as I hit the pavement, I heard laughter at what had just happened to me.

"Serves you right, freak!"

Pushing myself up, I gently felt my cheek, which was beginning to form a bruise from the hit. I hissed, feeling it throb as I then looked up at my tormentors. Most of them were boys my age, and a couple were girls. All had the same look on their faces as they glared at me.

I flinched and gingerly reached up and gently cover my right eye, which was already covered by my bangs and a dark blue bandanna.

"Cyclops!" one of them taunts.

"Emo!" another jeers.

A girl sneered at me. "Abomination!"

"Freak!"

"Weirdo!"

"Loser!"

I bit my lip, trying to ignore the pain and struggling to hold my tears back. A boy suddenly punched me and I yelped with pain. "Why do you do this?!" I whimpered. "Cause you're lame and weird!" one of the girls smirked down at me.

"Stop... just stop!" I choked out.

This only caused them to laugh even more at me. "Aw, look! The freak's crying!" one of them mocked. I looked up at them and felt anger building up inside me. I clenched my fists tightly. I then said something I never thought that I would _ever_ say to them.

"SCREW YOU!"

The laughter ceases immediately. The one that had punched me earlier glares at me menacingly.

"What did you say?!" the boy growled menacingly.

Realizing what I had said, I gulped and backed away.

"Y-You heard me!" I stuttered before turning on my heel and making a break for it. I couldn't stick around now that I blurted that out!

"Get the freak!" he yelled as they began chasing after me.

Panting, I ran around a corner, passing several people as I desperately tried to escape them. Looking over my shoulder, I could see them gaining on me.

Crap...

Adrenaline pumps through my legs as I run faster.

I ducked around another corner and hid behind a bush, crouching down. My breath hitched as I heard their footsteps getting closer.

"Where'd she go?!" I heard a boy demand in a thick Southern drawl.

"I saw her go this way!" a girl yelled as they began running away from the bushes. As soon as they are out of sight, I sighed with relief and sink down to my knees.

It's another one of THOSE days...

I walk around, I get cornered by jackasses, and I get the crap beaten out of me...

This has been happening since Preschool...

It's all because of...

I felt a tear come to my eye, but I wiped it away before it could fall.

I stood up and stepped out from behind the bush. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I began to walk home...

* * *

"Hey, look! It's the 'Cyclops'!" I heard a girl exclaim as she stands with her posse.

A brunette smirked at me. "Where you goin', Cyclops? Back to your cave?"

The girls cackled at her dumb joke. I feel another tear come to my eye as I try to ignore them.

I don't know what's worse... getting beaten up, or having to listen to this...

"Aw, is the wittle Cyclops gonna cry?" one of them asked, using a baby voice.

"Get lost, you ugly freak!"

"You don't belong here! You don't belong anywhere on this earth!"

"Do us a favor and go die in a pit!"

I clutched my head, shut my visible eye tightly, and gritted my teeth. I then let my anger out once again, unable to take the insults.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" I screamed as hot tears run down my face.

I heard them gasp, but I'm not sticking around to hear what else they have to say.

I run down the street, ignoring more jeers and taunts from other neighborhood kids.

* * *

I barged through the front door to my house and slammed it shut.

"Anne! What have I said about slamming doors?"

I mentally groaned.

Here we go...

A brunette woman in her late twenties to early thirties got off of the couch and glared at me. "Where have you been, Anne?!"

I trudged away from the front door. "I was beaten up again..."

She shook her head, having that look on her face whenever she didn't buy something. "Tell me the truth, young lady."

I looked at her desperately. "I swear! I was! Look at the bruises!" I gestured to a bruise on my arm.

My mother crossed her arms. "You always say you were beaten up. The same excuse every day..."

She doesn't believe me?!

Of course she doesn't... she hasn't believed me ever... Why doesn't she believe me?!

"I'm telling the truth, Mom! I swear!"

"That's enough lies, Anne! Go to your room!"

"But-!"

"NOW!"

Seething under my breath, I glared up at her with my visible eye before I stomped upstairs. When I reached my room, I threw the door open, stepped inside, and slammed shut, ignoring my mother's yelling.

I stood there for a moment.

All is ...

" **RAAAGGGHHH!"**

I screamed as I let out all the anger and frustration I felt all day. After the scream ended, I collapsed onto my bed and began crying.

Why?! Why won't they believe me?!

A moment later, I headed over to a mirror and looked into it for a moment before I reached up and untied the bandanna.

As I pulled it off, I brushed my bangs to the side and stared into the mirror. I could see a bruise forming on my cheek, as well as a few others. I saw my eyes glimmering with tears. My left eye is a normal green color... but... my other eye...

It's red. Blood red.

My eyes are differently colored... it's... rare. And every kid in the town has labeled me a freak because of it.

They think I'm a freak... an outcast... a freak of nature...

That is why I cover my right eye.

To try and avoid more ridicule. But it never works.

It only adds fuel to the fire and they came up with even more hurtful nicknames for me.

I beg my parents almost every day for help, but guess what?!

THEY NEVER LISTEN!

They both always think I'm lying and overreacting... Dad's too caught up in his stupid job and Mom thinks everything is fine in town...

They... let this happen to me...

I sat down, hug my knees, and start to rock myself back and forth.

It's gonna be okay, Anne... Tomorrow will be a better day... Hopefully...


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

 _A hand slapped my shoulder and someone darted past me. "Tag! You're it!" a boy cried out with a laugh._

 _I smiled as I ran after two boys. One had dark brown hair and the other had black hair._

" _Haha! Catch us if you can, Anne!" the raven haired boy exclaimed gleefully._

 _I ignored the glares from the other kids at the playground. I was actually having fun..._

 _I let out a laugh as I chased the two boys around, trying to reach out to tag them for their turn._

 _The brown haired boy looked over his shoulder and smiled at me happily. I found myself smiling back._

 _Suddenly, I tripped over a rock I didn't see and fell flat on my face._

" _Ouch..." I muttered as I pushed myself up._

 _But... the two boys are gone... Like they just vanished into thin air..._

 _The smile left my face._

" _Dylan? Chase? Where are you?"_

* * *

Just then, I was greeted by the sunlight streaming into my room and hitting my eyes, forcing me to wake up with a groan.

I wearily looked around my room. I smiled when I saw my guitar sitting in a corner of the room.

Man... my guitar is one of the only things I can comfort myself with...

I then remembered the dream that I just had Chase and Dylan... those two were the only, and I mean _only_ kids in town that were nice to me. They'd protect me from bullies. We played with each other almost every day. Until they didn't show up that day...

I was running to the playground to meet up with them, but they were never there... I waited, and waited, and waited, but they never showed up. I wondered where they were and why they never came that day. When the neighborhood kids noticed they were gone, they immediately resumed picking on me.

I sighed. That was two years ago... and I haven't seen them since.

I pushed these thoughts out and threw on a dark blue T-shirt with jeans. Seeing my bandanna on my desk, I grabbed it and tie it back over my eye. It was a sort of routine I had. Get up, put clothes on, then put the bandanna on. I then headed downstairs, seeing my Mom and Dad in the kitchen. Dad had his suit on for that job of his as he was reading the newspaper while Mom was making breakfast for us.

The TV was on. Some news reporter was talking about a virus...

I shook my head, not exactly paying attention and turned to the door. "I'm heading out..." I announced to my parents.

Today was another day of summer vacation, but for me, it was another day of running from bullies.

"Uh huh..." Dad muttered, not really listening as he flipped a page. "If you're late again, don't you dare make another lie." warned my mother.

I frowned a bit at that before I headed out the door, hoping that today would be a little better then the last.

* * *

I shoved my hands into my pockets, keeping my head low. I heard the typical taunts and jeers aimed at me, but I tried to ignore them. Maybe next time, I should wear a hat to disguise myself.

I soon passed by a TV store when something caught my eye. I stopped and turned to a TV in a display case as a news report was broadcasted.

 _"A strange virus has broken out in about five counties as of now. Many have been affected by this. The symptoms are pale skin, foaming at the mouth, coughing up blood, and incoherent moaning. If you see anyone that has these symptoms, contact your local hospital immediately. We advise that you do not interact with people displaying the signs."_

I blinked with surprise. What...?

"What kind of virus is this?" I asked myself. I had never heard of a sickness like this before.

"Whaddya know? Cyclops can read!"

Oh, come on...

I turned to my right and see two of my tormentors from yesterday.

"Of course I can." I retort with a frown.

One of the boys smirk before they stepped up to me and shove me to the ground.

"OW!" I exclaim. "What was that for?!"

The boy smirked cockily. "One, you're a freak, and two, because I felt like it."

He then spat on me, his saliva hitting my shirt, and high-fived his friend as they laughed cruelly at me before walking away.

I pushed myself off the ground and wipe the spit off me.

"Why don't they stop?" I ask aloud.

Why do they never leave me alone?

Will it ever stop?

Probably not...

* * *

As I walked throughout the town, I stared down at the sidewalk, keeping my hand shoved in my pockets and not looking up at anyone. I knew what kind of looks they'd give me if they saw me right now. Disgust, freaked out, hatred...

As I passed by the town park, I noticed that it was empty. None of the neighborhood kids was hanging out there. I paused for a moment and glanced over at it. I haven't been there for a while... I guess it couldn't hurt to stick around for just a few minutes.

I headed over to the swings and sat down on one. I could hear the wind rustle the leaves on the trees overhead a bit. It was actually kind of peaceful without a bunch of kids yelling and running back and forth.

I used my feet to push myself back and forth on the swing. Chase, Dylan, and I would use to play on these swings whenever we could. Chase and Dylan, being boys, would get into competitions to see how high the other could swing. I didn't really participate in them, but I liked watching. The memories of those days came back and a smile graced my lips. Heh, I remembered the time when Chase decided to jump off the swing, only to land headfirst in a trashcan. I was surprised he didn't have any head injuries from that, but when Dylan and I pulled him out, he stunk, so he had to go home early to get the smell off.

I missed those days. When I actually had fun without worrying of what those bullies would do. When I had friends to talk to and play with...

Shaking my head, I snapped out of my thoughts and jumped off the swing. As I landed on the ground, I stumbled a bit and nearly fell on my face, but I regained my balance. I then noticed a couple kids coming towards the playground, so I quickly ran away from the area. I didn't want to stick around to see what they'd do.

* * *

The sun was now setting.

I found myself backing away from a few bullies as they cornered me.

Again...

"Guess we didn't hit you hard enough yesterday, huh?" the leader asked sarcastically as he walked around me like a vulture stalking its prey. He had unkempt blonde hair with brown eyes, but they were dull and cold. "Those bruises healed yet? Why don't we give ya some more!"

I took another step back. "Just go away! Leave me alone!"

He punched me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I hunched over as I coughed and gagged, trying to regain my breath.

"Make us!" he retorted

He then grabed my left arm roughly and jerked me up, pulling back the sleeve, showing a scar going from my shoulder to my elbow. My eye widened and he smirked at that. "I remember when I gave you this. How about we give you another one?!"

I gasped. NO!

I jerked my arm out of his grasp. I remember when I got this. It was about a year ago... the leader of the bullies here backed me against a wall and beat me until I was on the ground. He then took a knife and dragged the sharp part of it down my arm.

Just remembering it makes me hiss in pain...

I felt my anger from that begin to build up as I glared at him.

Before I can even stop myself, I reeled my hand back and slap him hard across the face.

I panted as I glared at him harder. He stumbled back from the sudden blow. My eyes widened, realizing what I had just did. Did I... seriously just smack him?

I looked down at my hand, the one I had slapped him with.

That...actually felt kinda good...

"Did she just-?!" one of the boys asked.

"Oh, now she's gonna get it!"

Josh regained his footing and glared at me fiercely. "You're dead." he growled darkly.

I paled. Uh oh...

He then punched me in the face, harder than that guy did yesterday. Before I could even recover, he kicked my shins, causing me to fall to the ground, and then he kicked me in the stomach hard, knocking the wind out of me yet again. He then grabbed my by my shirt, reeled his fist back, and struck me again.

I spat out blood from the blow.

Gotta... fight... back... I can't let them do this to me...

I clenched my fist and socked him straight in the jaw, sending him staggering back and off of me. My eye, as well as my covered one, widened in surprise. Did I just do that?!

I snapped out of my stupor before shakily getting back to my feet and I started to run away from the area.

"You little bitch!" Josh roared. "GET HER!"

His cronies started darting after me, but I got a head start.

I ducked around a corner and knock over a trashcan, causing a couple of them to trip and land flat on their faces. I looked over my shoulder and smiled victoriously. Heh... dumbasses...

I suddenly almost tripped, breaking my run as I tried not to fall on my face. Josh ran even faster, reaching his arms out to grab me with an angered expression etched on his face. My eyes widened with fear before I sprinted away. I didn't want to get caught by him again!

I tried knocking over another trashcan, but I couldn't do it in time, so I just ducked around a corner. Seeing a bush, I dove behind it and remained as still as I could, trying not to hiss as my shins practically screamed in pain.

I heard footsteps and then Josh exclaiming, "She's gone!"

"Darn it... we almost had her!" another boy groaned.

"You morons! You let a damn trashcan slow you down?!" Josh spat at them.

"We didn't know that the freak would knock that over!" one of his cronies protested. "Well, next time, that cyclops isn't getting away so easily! You hear? Next time, I'll knock the crap out of her so much, she won't be able to walk!" Josh growled. I shivered at that and gulped silently.

I heard them walk away and I dared to push a couple branches out of the way to look, seeing that Josh was storming away with his cronies following him like stray puppies. When they were out of sight, I leapt out of the bushes and I took off running.

Once I was a good distance away from that area, I changed my run to a walk as I slowly, and slightly painfully, headed back home as the sky grew darker.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

The sky was now dark, as I could see many stars twinkling above. The air was now cooler and I could feel a light breeze now that the sun was down. It was actually nice, considering how the weather was earlier today.

As soon as I reached my house and stepped inside, both of my parents looked at me from the couch with frowns etched on their faces.

"Anne Marshall, where have you been?!" my father demanded, setting down the newspaper before stomping over to me. "It's past eight and it's dark out!"

I looked up at him. "I got beat up... again..."

Mom shook her head with a heavy sigh. "Here we go. Again with the lies!"

My eyes widened before I clenched my fists. "I'm not lying!" I insisted.

Dad frowned. "We know when you're lying, young lady!" he told me, crossing his arms.

"I'm not! Look at the bruises!"

He paused for a moment and stared at the bruises on me. Then he shook his head."Nice try. I can tell you just ran into things."

"I didn't! I was beaten up! It could have been worse if I didn't get away!" I snapped. "I even heard him say that next time, he'd beat me so much that I couldn't get away!"

"Quit exaggerating! You're just overreacting!" Dad frowned as he turned away to go through some of his papers from his stupid job. "I've had enough of these stories."

"Where do you think I got the bruises?!" I snapped at him while he had his back turned to me.

"Watch your tone, Anne." Mom warned me, shooting me a look as she put some shoes off to the side.

"Don't you understand?! The kids in town are the reason I'm late!" I exclaimed.

"Then just tell the teachers at school!" Mom threw her hands up in the air.

I gritted my teeth. "What do you think I've been doing?!" I asked, slowly losing my patience.

"Watch your tone!" Dad repeated what Mom had told me. "I am tired of your lies, Anne!" Mom said. "You have been doing this for years since we moved and it's going to stop!"

WHY?! Why won't they listen to me?!

"Why don't you believe me?!" I nearly screamed at them. They were always like this! They never, ever listen to anything I tell them!

"Because we KNOW you're lying!" Dad replied, slamming down his papers on a table.

My anger began to rise. "I'M NOT LYING!"

"Anne Marshall! You don't raise your voice to me!" he snapped, pointing a scolding finger at me.

Do I look like I give a damn right now?!

"For the last time, I'm not lying! I swear to you! I've been beaten up!" I told the both of them.

"Stop lying! And stop talking back!" Mom snapped at me.

"BUT-!"

"That's it! Anne, you are grounded for three weeks! Maybe that'll teach you a lesson." Dad said as he crossed his arms.

My glare intensified as I felt my frustration at them grow more. "Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because we're the adults. We know when you're not telling the truth! We know what you're doing out there! You just want to stay out late when you know you're not supposed to!"

THAT'S IT!

I slammed my fist against the wall. "YOU DON'T KNOW! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS EVER SINCE WE MOVED HERE! I've been getting beaten up for something I have no control over! I have been sent to the hospital a few times because of them!"

"Anne, watch your mouth! You were stuck at the hospital for a couple weeks probably because of an accident you had with that scooter!"

That stupid-!

"That was NO accident! I could have died from that cut! It could have been even worse!"

"Stop exaggerating!" Mom yelled with a frown.

"I HAVE BEEN LIVING THROUGH HELL! Those people hurt me every day! And you do nothing about it! NOT A DAMN THING! There were only two kids here that bothered to care for me! But they're gone now!" I paused, my throat feeling a bit hoarse from yelling as I rolled up my sleeve, showing them the scar. "THE KIDS HERE HAVE SPAT ON ME, PUNCHED ME, KICKED ME, TEASED ME, EVEN _CUT_ ME! AND YOU LET IT HAPPEN EVERY DAY! YOU NEVER HELPED ME! **EVER!** "

I panted from the adrenaline rush. I finally got that off my chest...

I looked up at my parents. Both have infuriated expressions.

"ANNE MARSHALL! HOW DARE YOU USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE AT US! GO TO YOUR ROOM!" Mom ordered.

They... still don't believe me...?!

I felt tears come to my eyes. I glared at them with hatred in my eye.

"SCREW YOU BOTH!" I screamed. Mom gasped at that and Dad looked ready to chase after me, but I ran up to my room. As soon as I was inside, I slammed the door behind me and it echoed loudly throughout the house. I locked the door behind me before I rushed over to my bed and buried my face into my pillow as I started sobbing.

"Why? Why won't they believe me...?!" I asked myself out loud.

* * *

I sat on my bed in the dark with my face buried into my hands. My hands clutched onto my hair, tugging at it with frustration, but not to the point to tear it out.

I hate them! I hate them so much!

They say they care about me, but they never do anything to help! They don't understand!

They never will...

I looked into the mirror across my room and saw myself looking absolutely miserable. My brown hair was messy and shaggy as usual... my bangs were in their usual position over my right eye. My bandanna was covering my right eye too, as usual...

I grabbed my guitar and hug it close to me for comfort. I shut my eye and let another tear shed before turning to my window.

I could make out several stars through my window, even a couple constellations.. I could see several police cars zooming around, but I paid no attention to them, thinking nothing of it. Someone must have commited a crime

The bullies are walking down the street, probably bragging about what they did to me today...

I suddenly punched my pillow in anger.

Why?! Why won't they ever stop?! Why do they do this to me?!

I've had it! I'M DONE WITH THIS!

I saw my bag on the other side of my room before I stood up and walked over to it. Kneeling down, I picked it up and stared into it, seeing how empty it was... but it wouldn't be for long.

That's it.

I'm leaving this place. I'm running away.

* * *

I began stuffing clothes into my bag. I threw in a few T-shirts, a few hoodies, and some jeans.

Wait... I still needed food... and water...

Slowly, I opened my door, seeing no one in the hallway. Good, my parents were in bed...

I crept downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing that they left the TV on. And they get on _my_ case whenever _I_ leave the TV on at night...

A man was on the TV doing some sort of news report. _"The virus has spread to more than twenty counties. Many are being infected by this unknown virus and are showing strange symptoms..."_

Damn, what's up with this virus? It was all the TV seems to show right now.

Pushing these thoughts out of my head, I opened the fridge as quietly as I could and threw several bottle of water into my bag and grabbed whatever food I need.

Once my bag was full, I sneaked back upstairs, tiptoeing past my parents' room, and into my room. I headed over to where I kept my money and grabbed the jar and stuffed it in. I would probably need it to buy other food later. Noticing my guitar, I grabbed it also.

No way in hell I'm leaving this behind. I had to earn a lot of money to get this thing!

I set my stuff down by my bed and laid down. Everything's ready.

I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn. Goodbye, bullies... goodbye, Mom and Dad...


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you, Dinowriter23, for helping me with a part in this chapter.**

 **I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I opened my eyes, seeing the morning light enter my room.

I'm usually not a morning person, but this time is an exception.

I leapt out of my bed and threw on a dark Linkin Park T-shirt with blue jeans that had a hole in the right knee.

Grabbing my things that I had packed up last night, I exit my room and tip-toe down the stairs. I freeze when I see my father in the kitchen, but his back is towards me. Mom was too busy making eggs.

Thank god...

I crept towards the front door and reached towards the handle, but I froze when I heard my parents start talking. "I'd wish Anne would stop trying to get attention." Dad grumbled.

"You know kids her age have a wild imagination... but now I'm getting worried. Ever since we moved here, she's been making up so many stories." Mom remarked. I clenched my fist, biting my lip to keep myself from going back there.

"She needs to learn that she can't tell us the same excuse over and over." Dad said as I heard him fold up a newspaper.

"James, I'm a little worried... is she using drugs?" Mom asked.

"If she is, she'll be grounded for life. I'll even take away her guitar." my dad said.

I froze at that. Not my guitar!

"She needs to learn." Dad said. "Learn what, James?" Mom asked.

"That she's... she just needs to learn the world doesn't care what she thinks. Sooner or later, she's going to be exposed to a rough, cruel, unforgiving world. And she cannot depend on us forever. She needs to know to be strong."

I shook my head and turned to leave again.

"But still... isolating her? She hasn't had our support for years. And ever since Dylan and Chase moved... it's been getting worse. Dad said she was almost..." I heard her sob. "I'm afraid she might commit suicide."

I stiffened up at that. I heard Dad get up and move towards her. "I know. But if we try to shelter her all her life, one day she won't be able to handle problems on her own. I've seen how kids are treated these days, and I don't want her to be incapable of any decision making."

"James, she's a teenager now. And you know what happens to teenagers who don't feel loved at home. They end up in gangs or on drugs. Actually both."

She actually thought I was doing drugs?!

"I'm scared she might fall in with the wrong people."

I heard my Dad walk to the fridge. "I toss and turn at night worrying about the same thing. But we gotta trust that Anne will remember to not interact with junkies"

"What are we gonna tell her when she comes out? After what she said to us last night?" I heard Mom inquire. "I don't know. I honestly don't know." Dad sighed. "I wish we could tell her, but we need to make sure she's strong enough to face the world when the time is right. Especially with that virus becoming a plague."

Why was everyone talking about this virus? Was it like the flu or something?

"I know." Mom said. "We've lost contact with five states and three-quarters of Georgia has been infected by it now, and no one knows what's causing it."

Over half the state was infected? And we've lost contact with five states? How was that possible?

"But overall, she should not have talked back to us like that last night." Mom said. I frowned at that and clenched my fist before I reached for the doorknob, then hesitated for a moment. But then the memories of getting beaten up came back to me. No... I can't stay here.

I grabbed the doorknob and quietly opened it, slipping out the door.

I squinted at the bright light as it hit my eye.

I hate mornings...

I gotta get moving... they'd find out that I'm gone soon... and I wanted to be far away when that happened.

I started walking away from my house.

Bye, assholes...

* * *

I made my way down the sidewalk with my guitar strapped to my back. I saw several adults raising an eyebrow as I passed them, but I ignored them.

Not a lot of people are out in the mornings, especially the neighborhood kids, which was good.

Now I won't have to deal with any problems like that while I'm leaving...

I paused for a moment and see a couple adults gathered by a TV store watching a news broadcast. Raising an eyebrow, I head over to them and watch what is going on on the news report.

 _"The infection is spreading rapidly. Many citizens have been infected with the virus. If you see any infected individuals, do not make contact with them. I repeat, do not make contact with them. The military is doing everything they can to stop this..."_ a man on the TV said.

"Damn, this must be pretty bad." a man commented before he looks down at me. "Hey, you should probably get home. This sounds serious."

No way... I'm not going back there... ever...

I walked away from the TV store and head around a corner leading to the bus stop.

I paused when I saw a pop machine by the corner.

Well, I guess it can't hurt to have a soda when you're running away...

Smirking slightly, I popped the change in and chose my favorite soda: Pepsi! I love that stuff. I can't get enough of it. Once it came out, I picked it up, opened it, and took a sip.

Ah...

Just then, I suddenly remembered something. Oh crap, I forgot Red Dog! It was this stuffed red dog plushie I kept with me in my room. My Grandpa gave it to me one day as a gift and I've kept it ever since. I was very young when I got him, so I just named him after the color he was and the name stuck. He was very special to me...

I looked back at the path behind me. I wasn't sure whether or not to go back to my home to grab him... but my parents would definitely catch me at that point. I could probably sneak through my window... but I didn't want to make a lot of noise getting the ladder. God, what do I do?! Should I just leave Red Dog there?!

Suddenly, I heard a scream.

What...?

I saw a man a couple blocks away from me running from another man. My eye widened when I saw the man tackle the other man... And take a bite out of his neck!

WHAT THE HELL?!

"OH MY GOD!" I exclaimed with shock. The man let out a gurgle, pressing a hand to his neck to try and stop the bloodflow as the other man started to devour him, plunging his hands into the man's stomach and ripping out his intestines.

I resisted the urge to puke as I picked up my guitar and bags and started to run away.

That man just FREAKING ATE THAT GUY! What the hell is going on?!

I ducked around a corner and suddenly bump into someone a couple feet taller than me.

"Oh! Sorry..." I apologized as I looked up at the man, but froze. The man... he had pale, rotting skin... his eyes were a milky white... and he smelled absolutely disgusting... like a rotting run over animal on the street.

The man bared his teeth and let out a snarl before he lunged at me.

"WHOA!" I screamed as I jumped out of the way. The savage man staggered a bit before he regained his footing and stumbled towards me. I started to back away.

"G-Get away from me!" I stammered.

The man responded with another snarl as saliva dribbled out of his mouth.

"Can't you understand me?!" I asked as my heart beat fast in my chest with fear. Suddenly, I tripped and fell on my back.

"Oh crap!" I exclaimed as I started scooting away from the cannabalistic man. He landed on top of me and goes for my throat, but I managed to stop him and used all of my strength to hold him back.

The man snapped his jaws, ready to sink his teeth into my throat.

What do I do?!

I looked around desperately, seeing a rock by my side. Without really thinking, I grabbed it and bash it into the man's head, quickly knocking him off of me. I quickly jump to my feet as the man starts to get up.

I quickly shove the savage man into the street away from me...

And he got hit by a car!

I gasped. Oh my god... what have I just done?!

The car screeched to a halt with the man lying under it. I started to back away with wide, terrified eyes. What have I done...? Did I kill him...?

I then heard a moan. I looked at the front of the car and gasped.

HE'S STILL ALIVE!

He was snarling and reaching towards me, looking like he still wanted to sink his teeth into me.

Oh God...

That is screwed up...

I gagged as I felt bile rise to my throat. I clasped a hand over my mouth before I whirled around and vomited, emptying whatever I had in my stomach onto the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I coughed as the last of my stomach contents emptied out onto the ground and stumbled a bit, holding my stomach.

Oh God...

That man I pushed just got hit by a car at full speed...

And somehow, he was still alive!

Someone stepped out of the car. It was a man in his late thirties. "Whoa, what the hell just happened?!" he asked as he turned to me. I wiped my mouth and looked up at him.

"He... he tried to take a chunk out of me... so I pushed him away... and you hit him..." I explained, trying not to panic.

The man's eyes widened. "Oh my God..." he muttered as he headed to the front of his car and examined the man he ran over.

"I... I swear! I didn't mean to!" I exclaimed nervously.

"Hey, calm down, kid..." he told me as he knelt down to examine the man. Suddenly, the savage man sprung to life, grabbed his arm, sunk his teeth into it, and ripped some flesh off.

I gasped as the man screamed in pain and grabs his arm.

"What the fuck?!" he yelled as he stumbled away from the man. The man... or whatever that _thing_ was, snarled as it reached up at him, trying to grab his ankle as it tried to get itself out from underneath the car.

I gulped before I grabbed my guitar and bags and started to make a run for it.

* * *

I panted as I ducked around corners, seeing several people looking confused, but then more people that looked like the thing I encountered a couple minutes ago started stumbling into sight, earning a couple cries of surprise.

"What the hell?!"

One of those things chomped into an unsuspecting woman and immediately, everyone screamed in terror and they started running away, resulting in total chaos as I heard several cries.

"Did he just eat that lady?!"

"Get the kids!"

"I gotta get out of here!"

"Mommy!"

"Out of my way!"

Gotta get outta here... Gotta get somewhere safe...

I heard more screams and snarls as I ran, but I didn't look back.

I screeched to a halt when I found a few of those things start staggering towards me. Each of them had rotting skin and milky white eyes, as well as what looked like fresh bites on their necks and limbs. I even saw one of them had a part of their cheek missing. I gagged in disgust at the sight as I took a step back.

CRAP!

I started backing up, looking for an escape, but I couldn't find one! My back ended up hitting a wall behind me and my eyes widened before looking back at the rotten things approaching me menacingly with snarls and moans.

Is this it? Am I gonna end up like that guy on the street...? Am I gonna die?

Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands grab me and I was yanked through a door. I screamed in surprise. "What the-?!" I began, but I was cut off by a hand clasping over my mouth.

"Shh!" a female voice hissed in my ear. "You're gonna attract them! Keep your mouth shut if you wanna live."

Reluctantly, I nodded and remain quiet. I looked up at the person who had pulled me in. It was a teenage girl either 18-19 years old with short, brown hair wearing a white and blue track jacket with a darker blue shirt with black shorts and tennis shoes.

She held a finger to her lips, signaling me to be quiet before the two of us looked out the window. We saw that those things had left, stumbling over to a group of people who didn't seem to notice them. I sigh withed relief and look at the teen. "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." the young woman sighed. I took a look at the store I was pulled into. It was pretty dimly lit right now, but I could make out several things in some glass cases. Wait a sec... are those guns?! I was in a gun store!

There were guns everywhere! Even a few knives here and there!

"You must be impressed, huh?"

I jumped at the voice and turn to see the girl. "Uh, yeah. Never been in a gun store before." I answered.

"You know how to use one?"

I shook my head. "No... no, not really." I answered.

"Well, at least you're with someone who knows how to shoot." a male voice remarked.

Huh?

I turned around and saw a male police officer in his early forties with black hair dressed up in black with the typical police hat and badge walking towards us.

"What're you saying?" I asked. "Well, those people out there that are trying to eat others obviously need to be put down." he told me. "Look, I don't really know what's going on, either, but those people are a danger to others right now."

The teenager groaned. "It's like something out of a horror movie..." she muttered, shaking her head as she walked away from the window. "How long are we gonna be in here?"

The officer shrugged. "I don't know, kid. It may be a while till those people go away." He then looked at me. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Anne..." I answered.

"I'm Officer Jackson." he introduced as he held out his hand for me to shake. I blinked, but I shook his hand.

"And I'm Jessica." the girl that saved me introduced herself as she leaned against the display case.

I nodded. "Uh... hi."

Officer Jackson then sighed and he glanced out the window. "Well, girls... you might as well get comfy right now... cause it looks like we ain't leaving anytime soon..."


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I sighed with boredom as I slumped against the wall, sitting on the tile floor. It's been at least seven hours since I first came in here. I checked the clock on the top of the dark green walls. It was at least 6:00 PM now.

Jessica was keeping an eye on the TV in the store, which constantly walked about the virus that's broken out in the our town and I think it mentioned that at least thirty counties in Georgia were affected by this mysterious virus.

Officer Jackson was by the window observing the infected people, or things, outside. He then activated the radio on his shoulder and spoke into it. "Calling all units, this is Officer Jackson, over. What's the situation, do you copy? Over." he said, then paused to wait for a response, but all I heard was static. "This is Officer Lucas Jackson calling all units. I repeat, what is the situation? Over." he repeated, but again received no answer.

I hoped none of them get in... I just wanted to find Grandpa... I wanna get out of here...

Jessica then sat next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hey..."

"So, what're the bags for?" she asked me.

Should I...?

I sighed. Might as well tell her...

"I'm, uh... running away." I answered truthfully.

"Why?"

"I get bullied a lot... and my parents don't do anything to help me."

She rose an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

I nodded silently. "Yeah... they don't believe me... they always think I'm lying or overreacting..."

Jessica frowned. "Well, they sound like jackasses."

"They are..." I muttered in agreement.

"So where exactly do you plan on headin' to, kid?" Jessica questioned

I froze hearing that question. Aw, crap... haven't thought of that...

Wait... there's...

"My grandpa's place..." I answered off the top of my head.

Grandpa was the only one who actually TRIED to help me... he always got into arguments with my parents... he tried to make them see what's happening to me, but of course, they ignored him him...

I heard him even talk about taking me away from here and letting me stay with him for a while... but my parents wouldn't allow it... ANYWHERE away from here is much better.

"And where is that?" Jessica questioned.

"It's about 300 miles from this town... I think." I answered. "It's in the country... I'm sure that none of the infected people are out there..."

"Well, you never know..." Jessica shrugged.

I looked down. I hope he's okay...

"So, what's up with the bandanna?" she inquired.

I stiffened before I looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it..." I muttered.

This time, Jessica kept her mouth shut at that, but then she asked another question. "You like Linkin Park?" she asked. I looked down at the Linkin Park T-shirt I was wearing and nodded. "Yeah, they make very good music."

"Definitely." Jessica nodded with agreement, then looked at Officer Jackson. "Hey, Jackson? How much longer are we gonna be in here?"

The man shook his head. "Those things out there aren't leaving anytime soon. In fact, I think MORE came..."

I groaned, hanging my head. "We can't stay in here forever..." I pointed out.

He nodded. "I know that. Are you heading someplace, Anne?"

I nodded as well. "Yeah... my grandpa's... it's about 300 miles from here in the country..." I explained.

I then heard a scream outside, followed by several crashes. "What the hell?" Jessica said to herself as we headed over to the store window and peered through it.

Outside, there were several people breaking into a store, sounding an alarm. Moments later, they rush out carrying food and several supplies. One was tackled by one of those... those THINGS out there. He screamed as the thing takes a chunk out of his leg.

I gagged in horror and shut my eyes at the sight, turning my head away. I didn't need to see this...

"Look!" Jessica said.

"What?" I asked. "The sound is drawing those things towards it!" she pointed out. I peered through the window and saw that several of those things outside were indeed staggering towards the store that was broken into.

So sound drew in those things...

That means... It causes a distraction...

Jessica then headed over to a glass case filled with guns. Suddenly, she grabbed a stool and rammed it down on the glass, shattering it.

I flinched and braced for the alarm to blare loudly, but it never did.

"Huh... alarm must be broken..." Jessica remarked. She realized that Officer Jackson was still watching and cracked a nervous smile. "Uh... you don't mind if I do this, Officer?"

He seemed to give a scolding look, then shrugged. "Under normal circumstances, I actually _would_ mind... but right now... I'll let it slide." Jackson said as he headed over to the broken glass case. He rhe reached in and pulled out a couple pistols. "Girls, start grabbing what you can."

Whoa, what?!

Wouldn't this be considered stealing?!

Jessica started grabbing guns too. Reluctantly, I joined in. I reached into the case and grabbed a gun.

Man, it feels heavy... Definitely doesn't LOOK heavy...

Jackson then set a large bag for holding guns down on the floor. "Okay girls, put whatever guns you grab into that bag. And don't forget to grab ammo." he ordered

We all grabbed whatever gun we could find, as well as several boxes of ammo.

After several minutes of running back and forth grabbing guns, the bag was full. Jackson zipped it up, but the butt of a rifle was poking out.

"Nice job." he told us as he picked the bag of guns up and slung it over his shoulder.

Suddenly, something pounded on the door. The pounds were followed by moans and snarls..

"Aw shit..." Jessica swore, taking a step back

The door was then broken down and a few of the infected staggered in.

"My car is out back. This way!" Jackson yelled as he opened the back door. Quickly, I picked up my bag and guitar before we ran through the back door. Jessica slammed it shut behind her before we darted over to a police car parked in the alley.

Jackson quickly threw in the bag of guns before getting into the driver's seat. "GET IN! HURRY!" he exclaimed at us.

Jessica got into the passenger's seat as I opened the back door, threw my stuff in, and practically dove into the back seat. I slammed the door shut and quickly strapped myself in as Jackson floored it. "HOLD ON!"

The car lurched forward and I was forced back into my seat. We zoomed out of the alley and into the streets.

The tires screeched as we rounded a corner and drove down another street. Jackson had to swerve a bit to avoid hitting pedestrians as they were running about.

I examined the car. So this was what it's like inside a police car...

I saw the cage over the window that separated the backseat from the front seat.

Man, I felt like a prisoner...

I looked out the window and saw someone running from an infected...

Wait...

I scooted closer to the window to get a better look. My eye widened. It was one of the guys that beat me up!

The teenage boy screamed in fear as he backed away from the thing.

Most of me felt panic as I watch this scene... then another part of me was glad that he's afraid... He knew what kind of fear I felt for years...

I shook my head. No... no one deserves to have to experience this...

But... I'm not sure about the guys who bullied me... if they deserve it or not...

I was yanked out of my thoughts as the boy screamed again as the monster- getting tired of calling them 'things'- lunged at him, but the boy quickly ran away.

For some reason, I was glad the infected didn't get him...

Should I be?


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

It's dark. Completely dark.

I didn't care. I was tired after running like that today.

I sank deeper into the car seat, hoping that I could sleep on like this for a few more hours.

"Hey, kid! Wake up!"

What the?!

My eye snapped open and I jerked awake, sitting up from my bag that I had used as a pillow. I looked up to see Jessica at the car door peering down at me. "What is it?" I asked as I rubbed my eye.

"We've stopped somewhere." she informed me.

* * *

I stepped out of the car, seeing that the sky had darkened.

How long have we been driving? Where were we?

I looked around and noticed that we were at some sort of police station. I didn't recognize this one. Why aren't we at my grandpa's, yet?

"Where are we?" I asked Officer Jackson with confusion.

"This is a police station I work at. It's several counties away from where you came from. But listen, I need you two to come and stick by me, just in case." Jackson told me.

"But what about my Grandpa?" I asked. "We'll get you there after this." he nodded. Reluctantly, I followed him inside with Jessica while I carried my things.

The first thing I saw when we stepped in was other police officers scrambling back and forth. They looked stressed out. One officer, a guy in his thirties with brown hair wearing a similar outfit that Jackson wore, came over to us. "Jackson! There you are. What's the situation out there?" he asked.

"The town I was in had several of the infected going about and eating people. I picked up a couple residents of that town and brought them with me." Jackson told him. "Ray, we need to check and see if any other civilians need help."

"What about boarding this place up?" Officer Ray asked.

"We need to focus on making sure civilians are safe." Officer Jackson told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He walked past him, taking Jessica and I with him. We had to weave past several other officers until we got to some sort of waiting room. "Okay, girls. I need you to wait right here. I need to go report what I've seen to the chief. I'll be right back." he told us, then hurried off.

Jessica sighed and sat down on a chair. I decided to do the same. "So... did you, uh... come across any of those things?" I asked Jessica.

"Well... I was going out for a morning jog just outside of town because it was a pretty nice morning. Then I came across this guy who was stumbling around in the middle of the path hissing and groaning. I thought he was just some guy that was drunk, so when I tried to pass him, he suddenly lunged at me. I noticed he had a chunk of his face missing and fresh blood on his face. He tried to grab my arm, but I managed to dodge him. I decided to run like hell back to town to warn a couple people about that lunatic just outside town, but then I noticed a couple other people that had some pretty nasty bites on them that were acting like that guy. I barely managed to avoid them, then I ended up bumping into Officer Jackson, who was in town cause he was checking for signs of this virus. I asked him what was going on, but he wouldn't say what at first, then another one of those things came out of nowhere towards us. So, we had to hide in a gun store and he told me that he was here because there were reports of sightings of infected people in the area. We were in there for about thirty minutes until I saw you running away from those infected guys, so I yanked you in, and here we are." she explained.

"Wow..." I muttered.

She glanced at me. "What about you?"

I sighed and looked down at the tile floor. "... when I was drinking some soda while waiting for the bus, I saw some weird guy chasing this other guy, but then he took a chunk out of the other man's neck, so I decided to run. I ran into one of those things myself and it tried to attack me, but I pushed it into the street, but it got hit by a car. I thought I accidentally killed that guy, but then that thing tried to reach at me. The guy driving the car got bit, so I ran until I found myself backed up, then you grabbed me and pulled me into that gun store."

"Looks like we've both encountered one." Jessica commented.

Officer Jackson then came back to us. "Girls, come with me." he ordered. Jessica and I looked at each other with confusion before I gathered my things and we followed him. By now, all the police officers in the station were in a hurry. "When I was reporting, I heard several reports had similar situations as the one back at Anne's town. I'm afraid that whatever this thing is, it's spreading even more." he told us. I gasped at that. "Then... more of those things are gonna show up...?" I asked him nervously. He nodded grimly. "All units were issued to patrol the area and detain any infected they've come across."

We followed him down a hall that was less crowded. Still, there were people talking urgently. All about the virus. It was even in the news. To make things worse, some places had riots breaking out because no one was telling them exactly what was going on and there were people committing vandalism. All while those infected were moving about, eating anyone they could. To my shock, someone holding the camera got chomped on from behind. The camera clattered on the ground and I saw static on the TV. I gulped, but then I felt Jessica lay a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at her. "Hey, we'll be okay..." she told me. "We got a police officer with us."

"But what if they come here?" I asked her.

"They're working on quarantining the... whatever they are."

Officer Jackson then headed into this dark room. When he turned the lights on, I saw it was a gun department. He grabbed a couple boxes of ammo, as well as a couple cans of gasoline, and came back to us. He led the two of us back to the hall. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm going to get you to your grandpa." he told me. "Then i'm coming back and I'm going to help stop this thing. Or at least contain it."

That didn't comfort me any way at all. As we followed him through the walls, we were suddenly stopped by Officer Ray. "Jackson, what're you doing? Orders were to head out immediately."

"This girl needs to get to her grandfather. I'm taking her there really quick." he told him. Officer Ray just stood in the way. "We don't have time to waste here." Officer Jackson said.

"We are to follow orders, Lucas." Officer Ray said with a frown. "What orders?" I asked him. "All units must go and hold back the infected."

Jackson shook his head. "I promised this girl I'd get her to her grandfather."

Officer Ray frowned. "She'll be fine here."

"Look, it's really important to her." Jackson sighed. "Take care of the infected first, and then take her to her grandpa." Ray frowned. I found myself a bit intimidated by this guy. "I'm only gonna say this once, Ray. Move." Officer Jackson frowned.

Ray narrowed his eyes. "No. You have your orders."

"Ray. I said move." Officer Jackson insisted, but the man shook his head. "We are to follow orders. Now." Ray crossed his arms.

"Look, they're kids." Jessica looked a little ticked off being referred to as a 'kid'. Ray had a stern look. "Jackson, you know what happens when you don't follow orders."

"Sometimes, orders gotta be disobeyed." Jackson tried to push past him. Ray roughly grabbed him. "I can't let you do that, Lucas."

"Stand down, Ray. I have to do this."

"Hey, just let us go!" Jessica suddenly snapped at Ray. The other officer looked at us, but he was suddenly slugged in the side of the head by Officer Jackson. Ray stumbled from the blow. My eyes widened. Jackson then ushered us past him. "Come on, come on..."

Ray was getting up as we got out of there. "Jackson!"

We ran down a set of stairs and through the lobby. The front doors were just ahead!

We burst through and piled up into the police car with our things. Officer Jackson jammed the keys into the ignition, turned them, and the car roared to life. "Go, go, go!" Jessica urged as Jackson floored it. We sped off from the police station with the tires screeching against the pavement. I turned to look out the back window and saw Ray running out the front doors looking at us.

"... that guy was a stickler for rules." Jackson muttered after a moment, shaking his head. "He was an asshole." Jessica said, then looked at him. "And I'm not a 'kid'."

I sat back down in the back seat as the police officer drove on. I was still a little shaken up by that news report. How many of those things were there?


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I still remained in the backseat while Officer Jackson drove on. I brought my legs up to my chest as I tried to recover from watching that police report.

Jessica was checking her cellphone. "Damn, no reception..." she muttered with frustration.

Jackson drove his car down a road, but then he stopped. "Why'd we stop?" I questioned.

He groaned. "Son of a bitch... it's a traffic jam."

I looked up and peered through the front window, seeing dozens of cars in front of us honking their horns loudly as their headlights flashed. I could hear several cries of frustration from the drivers.

"Move it!"

"I've got a doctor's appointment tonight!"

"What's the hold up?!"

"Aw, come on..." I muttered.

"You have got to be kidding me." Jessica frowned.

We remained in the car for a moment, but then Jackson started tapping his finger on the wheel with impatience. I noticed another police officer come over to the window and tap on it, so Jackson rolled the window down. "What's the hold up?" Jackson asked.

"It's just a little accident. Nothing to worry about." the officer said, but something didn't seem right about that. Jackson seemed to notice, too. "Really...? What kind of accident?" he asked suspiciously.

"... a car accident." the officer said, hesitating a bit before leaving. "That doesn't sound right." Jessica told us.

Jackson nodded. "He was lying. It's definitely not a car accident."

"What do we do?" I questioned. "Wait here..." he told the two of us before he got out of the car. Jessica and I exchanged a look before we climbed over to the window to get a better look, peering over the tops of the cars. We could see a couple helicopters circling the area aiming spotlights up ahead. We saw Officer Jackson approach the scene.

There wasn't a wrecked car, but a person lying on the ground while a couple paramedics were checking on them. The same officer from before approached Officer Jackson. "Sir, we advise you to step back."

"What the hell is this? This isn't a car crash." Jackson frowned.

"I said step back." the officer repeated, keeping a hand rested on his pistol. I felt a little nervous at that.

"Why'd you lie?" Jackson asked.

I squinted to get a better look at the person lying on the ground. Their skin looked a bit pale and they weren't moving.

"Look, we don't want the public to panic."

"Panic? The public's already panicking! Several towns are being attacked by infected people!"

"Sir, just get back in your car."

Officer Jackson showed his badge. "I'm a cop. You'd better tell me what's going on right now."

"This man collapsed on the road. He was delusional. He was foaming at the mouth. We suspect he might have rabies."

Jackson's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? Haven't you seen the news?!"

"Yes, but we need to check to make sure he's not-"

Suddenly, a shrill cry filled the air. My eyes widened as I saw the person lying on the ground reach up and take a bite out of one of the paramedic's arms. He screamed in pain and several people in the cars yelled in surprise.

"Shit!" Jessica swore.

Jackson quickly rushed back to us and got into the driver's seat. "Shit, shit, shit..." he muttered to himself as he put the car in reverse and backed up before swerving to the left, driving onto a road that lead away from the road we were on. I held on tightly as he zoomed away from the traffic jam and down the road.

I didn't know if I should look back to see what was going on or not. I had a feeling I didn't want to know what was happening behind us.

* * *

The road felt a little bumpy as Officer Jackson drove down it. I peered out the window and saw we were passing by a dark corn field filled with rows and rows of corn stalks. I wondered if they'd ever be harvested with what was going on right now.

The sky was completely dark and I could see the moon shining in the sky, providing us a bit of moonlight.

Jackson had his headlights on, so at least we could see where we were driving.

Jessica had already fallen asleep, using her fist as a pillow. I heard static coming from Jackson's radio. "... Officer Lucas Jackson, do you copy? Over." I heard someone say on it. I recognized it as Officer Ray, but why was he contacting him right now?

The police officer groaned. "What does he want now?" he asked himself before he answered the call. "This is Officer Jackson talking, over."

"What the hell were you thinking disobeying your order?!" Ray asked. Jackson rolled his eyes. "I've got a girl who needs somewhere to go, Ray. Go ahead and yell at me. I don't care. Deal with it." Officer Jackson replied with a frown.

"You disobeyed orders! You know what the consequences are for doing that! Jackson, you-"

Just to be sure as to not hear more annoyance from Ray, Jackson simply shut off the police radio. He shook his head. "He gets pissed if ONE thing is out of line." he muttered to himself.

I started to feel a little drowsy. My eyes felt pretty heavy. I tried to stay awake, but my vision slowly got blurry with each passing minute.

Eventually, I nodded off, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _I found myself whimpering as I curled up on the ground while I heard familiar, cruel laughter._

" _Freak!"_

" _Monster!"_

" _Ugly!"_

" _Cyclops!"_

 _"Weirdo!"_

 _Please... stop!_

" _Stop it... just stop it! Please!" I choked out. The laughter simply rose in volume. I covered my ears in an attempt to block it out, but the laughter just grew louder._

 _Why?! W_ _hy do they do this to me?!_

 _I felt someone kick me roughly, knocking me on my side. I curled up ina fetal positon._

" _You don't belong anywhere!"_

 _I gritted my teeth._

" _SHUT UP!"_

* * *

I was jerked out of my nightmare by the brakes suddenly being slammed on, causing me to lean forward and hit my face on the back of Jackson's seat. I jerked awake at that and looked around. "Huh?!"

I noticed it was now daytime and we were now at a crossroads. Jessica looked back at me. "Hey, sleepyhead. She's awake." she announced.

"Sorry I woke you up like that, kid." Jackson told me.

I rubbed my forehead and blinked my eyes, trying to adjust to the morning light. "Where are we...?"

"Well, I'm trying to figure out if I'm going the right way to your grandfather's. Am I?" Jackson asked me. I blinked, then took a look at the crossroads again. I recognized them a tiny bit. "I think you are..." I told him.

"Which way do we go, Anne? Left or straight?"

I glanced back and forth, trying to figure out where to go. The memory popped back into my head. "We go left." I told him.

He nodded and stepped on it, turning left and driving down the road.

"So, Officer, what do we do once we find Anne's grandpa?" Jessica questioned.

"We can bring him with us so we can get them to a safer place if the infected are around." Officer Jackson suggested. "... is the military gonna take the infected down?" I asked after a moment. They had guns, so they could get them to stand down... right?

"If it gets to that point, maybe." he told me.

It was then I noticed we were approaching a town up ahead. I think it was one of the towns that you had to pass through in order to ger to my grandpa's. As we neared it, I noticed something off.

Usually, the streets were not crowded. There were usually just a few cars going down the lanes here and there with people walking on the sidewalks. Today wasn't the case. There were people holding up signs or yelling angry protests while there was some police in riot gear trying to get them to settle down. But obviously, they weren't going to listen. I noticed some of them had bandannas tied over their faces as some sort of masks.

Officer Jackson slowed down to a halt once we realized what was happening. A riot was going on?!

"... what do we do...?" Jessica asked.

"Everyone remain calm..." he said slowly, keeping his hands on the steering wheel just in case. I found myself growing uneasy and nervous as I dug my hands into my car seat. Some of these people had weapons... that obviously wasn't good.

Just then, someone threw a brick into a store window and it seemed to set off a domino effect, as the crowd went _crazy_. People started slamming their weapons into cars and store windows like total maniacs as others charged at the policemen. The officers in riot gear used their riot shields to try and push them back.

I gasped and backed up in my seat, clinging onto my duffle bag nervously as we watched the chaos go on. "Girls, stay in the car. We're safe in here." Jackson told us in an attempt to calm us down.

Right when he said that, a couple people started slamming on the police car's hood yelling. Another even threw a rock at one of the windows, shattering it!

"Get out of the car! Get out of the car!" Jackson told us hurriedly as he unbuckled himself, grabbing the bag of guns. I quickly snatched up my guitar and bags and we quickly got out as a group of people gathered around and started rocking the car back and forth. "Yeah! Down with the police!" a guy yelled as he slammed a hammer into the windshield, shattering it to pieces.

I almost bumped into a rioter, but Jessica grabbed me and started dragging me along as Jackon ran in front of us. "Come on, Anne! Don't fall behind!" she told me, but suddenly Jackson froze and stopped us. "Look out!"

A rioter put a cloth in a bottle of alcohol, lit it, and chucked it through a store window, causing a couple things to catch aflame. "This way!" Jackson told us as he grabbed Jessica and I and we weaved our way past a burning car and a couple rioters before finding a store that had not been attacked yet. "Get in!"

Jessica threw the door open and let the two of us in before locking it, panting as she backed away from it. Officer Jackson took out a gun and held it at the ready. "Get behind me." he warned the two of us as we edged away from the front door. Through the blinds, I could see the riot still happening.

I was scared. Were they gonna get in?

Were they gonna hurt us?

I tried to keep calm, but the screams and sounds of glass shattering outside just made it worse. I jumped when something slammed against the front door, but didn't get in. "What are we gonna do...?" I asked Officer Jackson worriedly.

"... I don't know yet, Anne. I just don't know."


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

 **Anne Marshall belongs to me**

* * *

I tried to stay calm as we hid together in the store. The screams and crashes could still be heard going on outside. However, my heart felt ready to leap out of my chest.

Why were people rioting right now?

I then heard some footsteps. "Who the hell are you?!"

We whirled around and I saw someone I never thought I'd see here. He was a boy about my age with black hair wearing a purple T-shirt with a pair of jeans. Jessica and Officer Jackson looked at him with confusion, but when the boy's eyes fell on me, he frowned with disdain in his eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me... Cyclops?" he asked.

I flinched at the horrible nickname and took a step back. "S-Shut up..." I mumbled.

Jessica rose an eyebrow. "You know this kid?"

"Sadly, yes..." I muttered in reply, still keeping my distance from him. "He's Nash... he's... someone who bullied me."

"Oh, sure, go ahead and tell it to the grown ups, freak." Nash scoffed. "Can't believe you decided to leave town. I thought you'd be sniveling in a corner like a baby as usual."

"Hey, watch your mouth, kid." Jessica frowned at Nash. This guy was one of the guys that would bully me, usually when he was in a group.

"Why should I? She's a freak." Nash crossed his arms. Jackson groaned. "We don't have time for this. What are you doing in here, kid?" he asked.

"This is my uncle's shop." Nash answered, still aiming a frown at me. "I came here a couple days ago cause I was gonna spend the weekend with him, then all that stuff outside started happening. And now the freak is in here. I shoulda locked that door as soon as the riot started."

I clenched my fist at that. Jessica looked ready to slap him.

"Alright, enough." Officer Jackson said, trying to ease the tension. "I don't care what you think about others right now, kid, cause we are not in a good situation here. So put your differences aside so we can figure out what to do."

"I'm not going anywhere near him, he'll beat me up!" I protested.

"Not on my watch." Officer Jackson retorted, then looked back at Nash. "Where is your uncle?"

Nash was silent for a moment, then he answered, "He stepped outside just a few minutes before the riot began. He told me to stay inside. Told me not to let anyone in."

There was a bang on the door, causing us to jump. "... look, we can't stay in here for long." Officer Jackson began. "We need to figure out how to get out of here unharmed, and quick, so no fighting." He started checking around the store in search of a way out. "Nash, is there a back door?"

"Yeah, it does. My uncle's car is out back. He told me to hang onto the keys for him." Nash replied. "We might need to borrow the car. My car's... currently wrecked." Jackson glanced out the window at that. I was pretty sure his car was reduced to scrap metal by the rioters by now. Glad we got out of that thing in time.

"My uncle doesn't like anyone touching his car." Nash shook his head.

"He'll have to tell it to the badge if he gets pissed, then." Jackson swiftly replied as he readjusted the strap of the gun bag on his shoulder. He headed over to the back door to listen, and I could faintly hear muffled yells on the other side of it. "We might need to wait till its clear to go through the front door."

"Wait, 'we'? I'm not going anywhere with that loser!" Nash frowned as he glared at me. I found myself glaring back at him. "Well, too bad." Jackson retorted. "Would you rather stay in here and get run over by the people in the riot?"

Nash kept his mouth shut at that. As Jackson turned his back, Nash stuck his tongue out at me. Now that's just immature...

While the other two were getting ready, Nash and I were having a stare down. "Carrying that guitar on your back? You look like a hillbilly." he insulted. "Screw you." I retorted.

"Ooh, Cyclops deciding to talk back, is she?" he asked mockingly. "And what's with the bags? You running away from your mommy and daddy?"

I wanted to smack him for that, and since he didn't have any other bullies to back him up, maybe I wouldn't get beaten up...

Jackson then came over to us. "Alright, if you're done with your insults, Nash, I've got a plan. We wait for the rioters to come in, then we slip past them through the front door and sneak around back to get to the car. Keys?"

Reluctantly, Nash handed a set of car keys to the police officer, who pocketed them. He then motioned for us to gather closer, so we did, but Nash and I stayed away from each other. "Whatever you three do, stay close to me." he advised us. As the banging grew louder, the four of us got ready before Jackson yanked the door open. Almost immediately, two men with masks on burst in. "Go, go!" Jackson ordered as we pushed past the two men and into the streets.

I nearly froze in shock at the sight in front of us. It was looking much worse than before we got in that shop!

The streets were littered with debris, wreckage, and flames as people ran about screaming and destroying things while pumping their fists in the air. Several cars were lit on fire, as well as a couple display windows. The police in riot gear were obviously not doing a good job in trying to stop them...

Nash bumping into me was what snapped me out of my stupor and caused me to keep running. I had to duck from a flying rock that nearly hit me in the side of the head. "Which way, kid?!" Jackson asked Nash as we quickly walked down a side walk.

Nash pointed to the left. "That way!"

We prepared to head down the alley, but then he stopped us. "Wait, wait, wait, I need to find my uncle! He's still out here!" he protested. We all looked at him at that and I hestitated. He always picked on me... why should I help him?

"Okay, okay, we'll try to find him!" Jessica said as we ducked around a corner. I could have sworn I saw someone struggling with someone who seemed to be growling on the ground. I noticed the one growling had paler skin, but Jessica pulled me back to them before I could get a better look. "We can't stall!" she reminded me, then her eyes widened as she saw something. "GET DOWN!"

She pulled me down to the ground and covered me with her arm as a brick went sailing over our heads into the window behind us. I shuddered at that as Jessica quickly helped me up. "Holy shit..." she muttered before we jogged back to Officer Jackson and Nash.

"This is a warning! Stand down or we will use force! Stop or you will face punishment to the full extent of the law!" a riot officer could be heard over a megaphone as we passed by a rioter standing atop of a car whooping like a maniac. They obviously weren't listening to the warning...

The four of us slipped past a few people marching down the street pumping their fists in the air as they knocked trash cans over. One seemed to notice Officer Jackson's badge and shoved him. "Damn cop!" he insulted. I could hear him slurring his words. "Sir, I'd advise you to step away." Jackson warned him, resting a hand on his pistol. "You damn police never do anything! You keep things from us! Think we shouldn't know!"

"Sir, get back!"

The man threw a punch at him, slamming his fist into his cheek. I gasped.

Jackson held his face for a moment, then threw his own fist at him. The man stumbled back from the blow and fell right on his back. He growled and started back to his feet just as we quickly walked away. I did see a couple people wandering aimlessly in the street. Unlike the rioters, they weren't screaming, but... groaning. Wait...

Their eyes looked lifeless. And their skin looked a bit pale as well. Jessica seemed to notice as well. "Anne, don't go near them..." she warned me as we walked even faster.

Nash suddenly gasped and ran ahead of us. "Uncle Dave!"

There was a man lying on the ground with a bunch of boards and rubble atop him. Nash tried to get the stuff off, then looked back at us. "Don't just stand there! Help me!"

I hesitated for a moment. Should I help Nash? He was such a jerk to me...

I shook my head before I joined Jessica and Jackson in lifting the heavy boards off the man. God, these were heavy!

After at least two minutes of lifting, we finally got the boards off the guy, but Nash's uncle wasn't moving. Nash's eyes widened. "Uncle Dave...?"

I noticed there were several bruises on Dave's face, as well as a very nasty head wound that looked to be the work of a blunt object. Nash tried shaking him awake. "Uncle Dave? Come on, get up... this isn't funny. Are you still mad at me for hanging out with those guys...? Come on, you know I think they're cool..."

He received no answer. Jackson cautiously placed his fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. A moment later, he shook his head. "... he's dead."

"No... No, he's not!" Nash protested as he tried again to get his uncle up. "He doesn't have a pulse. I'm sorry, kid." Officer Jackson sighed. A sudden nearby crash alerted us of the presence of oncoming rioters. "We need to go!"

Nash tried desperately to pull his uncle off the ground. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Nash.

"Nash, we need to go!" I told him.

"Shut up, Cyclops! He's not dead...he's not!"

I clenched my fist at that before I reeled my hand back and slapped him. His head jerked to the side at that. "Move!" I snapped at him. Jessica grabbed the both of us by our arms and started dragging us towards his uncle's shop. ""Come on!"

We had to dodge several things being chucked around. A rioter nearly slammed their elbow in my face, so I had to duck down while carrying my bags. Jessica grabbed a bag to help me as we reached the alley. I nearly tripped over a box as we found a pick up truck parked out back. Officer Jackson immediately pulled the keys out and got into the driver's seat. Jessica and I jumped into the passenger's seat while Nash just climbed into the trunk.

Jackson started the car and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The car jerked forward, forcing me back in my seat as we sped put of the alley down a less crowded street. Thankfully, people knew to get out of the way as Jackson drove.

I was pretty sure Nash was clinging to the side of the back of the truck. Jackson hit a few bumps on the road before we saw a road leading out of the town, so we took it. Before I knew it, we were out of the rioting town. I hesitantly looked back, seeing smoke rising over the buildings. Nash sat alone in the back as he stared as well, then pulled his knees to his chest.

I could have sworn I saw some infected people back there... the police would take care of them, right?

Jackson slowed the car down with a sigh. "You can relax, now..." he told us. "We're safe."

After what happened back there, I certainly didn't feel like relaxing.


	10. Chapter 10

The ride was silent as Officer Jackson drove the pickup truck down the road. I think about a couple hours passed. Nash hadn't said a word ever since we left the town. He just stayed in the back of the truck staring at the road.

Jessica was staring out the window silently, and so was I. In fact, none of us barely said a word ever since we escaped the riot.

Officer Jackson broke the silence by using the radio attached to his shoulder and attempted to contacted someone. "This is Officer Lucas Jackson calling all units. What's your status? I repeat, what's your status? Over."

All we heard was static. "Dammit..." he frowned, then tried again. "Again, this is Officer Lucas Jackson calling all units. Anybody read me? Over."

Again, just the sound of static. Jackson sighed and was prepared to hang up when we heard a voice come through the static. _"This is Deputy Linda Rodriguez. I hear you. Over."_

Jackson perked up at that and quickly answered the message. "What's your status? Over."

 _"Currently, reports say that there have been infected sighted in the area. What about you? Over."_

"Well, I just got out of this town where a riot was taking place. They ended up wrecking my car, but I have three kids with me. I'm taking one of them to find her grandfather. Over." Jackson replied.

 _"What's your plan after that? Over."_

"I was planning on finding a place to take the other two to hunker down until the situation is handled. Over."

 _"And if that fails...?"_ the woman asked. The question made me feel a bit worried.

Officer Jackson was silent for a few moments before he pressed the button on the radio again. "Then I'll get them to a safe zone. Deputy Rodriguez, you be careful out there. Over."

He then hung up, focusing his attention on the road again. I couldn't help but think about what he said just now. Would this thing be handled? Would the infected get taken care of?

Jessica then sighed, bringing me out of my thoughts. "What are we gonna do about that kid back there?" she questioned, gesturing to Nash in the back of the truck. "He's gonna have to stick with us for right now. At least until we find his parents." the police officer swiftly replied.

I didn't know what to think when I heard that. Nash was staying with us? Great...

"Hey, kid, I'm... sorry about your uncle." Officer Jackson said to Nash. "There was nothing we could do..."

Nash only stayed silent again, still staring out at the road as we drove while holding his knees to his chest. Jackson then asked, "Do your parents live close by?"

"... no." Nash finally spoke.

"Then where are they?"

"... I don't know..."

Jackson was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, kid, until we find your parents, you're going to have to stick with us. Now, Anne, are we getting closer to your grandfather's?"

I looked out the window to see where we were. I could see a couple familiar houses as we passed by them, as well as some familiar trees and shrubs. I sat up, nodding. "Yeah. We're almost there." I confirmed. "Make a left..."

The truck turned to the left as we went down another road. I felt a bit anxious now that we were getting closer. We were almost at my grandpa's! I hope he's okay...

We passed by a couple more houses until I finally saw it. "There!" I suddenly exclaimed as I leaned forward and pointed towards Grandpa's house. It was a two story white house with a porch, a porch swing, and a gray roof.

Officer Jackson pulled into the driveway and as soon as he stopped the truck, I rushed to open my door.

"Whoa, Anne, slow down!" Jackson told me.

"He's probably already dead, anyway." Nash muttered. I shot a glare at the bully for that before getting out of the vehicle and rushing up the steps. My heart was pounding and felt like it was beating out of my chest as I reached the front door.

I knocked on the door, waiting a moment before knocking again. "Grandpa? Grandpa! It's me! It's Anne!"

I waited again for a moment, but there was still no answer. It was then that I noticed some muddy footprints on the porch that seemed to lead inside. I rose an eyebrow with suspicion as I knocked one more time. "Grandpa...?"

When no one answered, I cautiously opened the door myself.

What I saw nearly made my heart stop.

The inside of the house looked like a hurricane hit it! Some photo frames were thrown on the floor and shattered, there was a few overturned chairs, there were muddy footprints in the living room and kitchen, drawers were open...

Did somebody break in?!

I ran inside and started searching the rooms. I could see more things were tossed around and the kitchen had several cabinets opened with some food left in them. I tried checking out the backyard as well. I even found something that looked like a bit of blood on the corner of a wall. My eyes widened, fearing that something happened to him while I ran up the stairs.

I nearly tripped on my feet as I reached the top. I quickly started checking all the rooms upstairs, even the bathroom and closet. No one was there either!

There was one more room I haven't checked yet: Grandpa's room. I threw open the door as soon as I reached it. "Grandpa?!"

No one was in here. Grandpa's bedsheets were thrown all over the place, the drawers were pulled open, anything that was important to him was missing...

I let out a yell of frustration before sitting down on the bed, holding my head in my hands. I felt my eye water.

What happened here? Where is he?! Why wasn't he here?!

A tear rolled down my cheek while I heard footsteps approaching.

"He's not here?"

I looked up, seeing Jessica standing in the doorway, looking a bit surprised at how trashed this place was. I shook my head sadly as a couple more tears fell.

"No... No, he's not." I answered.

"Maybe he got out and headed somewhere else?" Jessica suggested.

I hope he did..

"Look, we need to tell Jackson this." Jessica told me. "You ready?"

I wasn't, really, but I nodded and reluctantly got off the bed, wiping away a couple tears. I headed back downstairs with Jessica, trying to ignore all the wreckage as we stepped outside, finding Officer Jackson waiting outside the truck.

"Her grandpa's not here, officer." Jessica told him.

The officer frowned a bit. "Well... this complicates things." he said before looking down at me. "Anne, do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

I shook my head as I glanced down at the ground. "No..."

"Maybe he ran away cause he knew Cyclops would come crying to him." Nash rudely grumbled from the truck. I glared at him, feeling angry at that comment.

Jackson frowned. "Enough." he told him before he crossed his arms. "Anne, I'm afraid you'll have to stay with us for a bit longer."

"Where are we gonna go...?" I questioned, trying to ignore Nash's remark.

"Somewhere that we can rest. Then we can find a place to stay until the infected are taken care of. If that fails, then we can find a place that's well guarded."

I didn't know about this... What if Grandpa is still out there?

"Guys!" Jessica called, pointing in a direction. We turned around and saw several of the infected stumbling our way.

"Shit. In the truck! Now!" Officer Jackson exclaimed. Jessica and I scrambled into the pickup truck as Jackson started the vehicle up.

I quickly got my seatbelt on as the engine roared to life. Nash held onto the side of the pickup as the officer slammed his foot down on the gas. He pulled out of the driveway with the tires screeching against the pavement and drove away from my Grandpa's house.

I turned back to look out the window. I felt sad seeing the house fading in the distance as a couple of the infected stumbled around it.

Turning back around, I leaned my head against the window and silently watched the passing trees and shrubs.

I just hoped Grandpa made it out of there...


	11. Chapter 11

I looked out the window as we drove past a set of trees. It was at least an hour or so since we left my Grandpa's...

I prayed that he wasn't dead, or worse... one of those things.

It had been quiet ever since we left Grandpa's place. The only noise you could hear was the truck's engine.

However, Jessica broke the silence by asking, "So, are we gonna stop by somewhere later, or are we gonna keep driving?"

Jackson sighed. "Well... that depends on where exactly we could stop at. There could be more of those things there."

"Yeah... good point..." Jessica muttered.

It was then my stomach had growled rather loudly. Jessica and Jackson glanced at me as I held my stomach with slight embarrassment. I forgot I hadn't eaten anything yet...

"Uh..." I muttered.

"Are you hungry?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah..." I admitted sheepishly as I reached for my bag, pulling out a bit of food that I managed to grab before sneaking out of my home.

"You had food with you?" Jessica asked me, a bit surprised.

My eye widened as I mentally kicked myself for forgetting to tell them. "Yeah... I kinda forgot I had these..."

Jessica's stomach suddenly growled, signifying she was hungry, too. I rose an eyebrow. "You, uh... want some?" I offered.

"... yeah. Yeah, I do. I'm starving..." Jessica admitted with a nod.

"Truth be told, so am I." Jackson spoke up, then sighed. "Maybe we can pull over for a minute. Take a break, put some food in us..."

"Sounds like a plan." Jessica nodded in agreement. The police officer then pulled the truck over to the side of the road, parking it there. We had stopped at a pretty isolated area, but it still made me feel a little cautious.

"Hang tight, I'll make sure none of the infected are around." he told us before stepping out, leaving us in the truck.

I shifted in my seat to try and make myself comfortable as we waited. I started searching my bag. "So... whaddya want? I got some granola bars, a few cans of food, a couple sandwiches..."

"I'll just have a sandwich." Jessica answered, so I handed her the sandwich. "Thanks, Anne..." she told me gratefully.

I nodded in reply before I started eating a granola bar. Ah, it felt so much better getting some food in my stomach...

I then noticed Jessica gazing at the back of the truck. "What is it?" I asked with confusion before looking myself, realizing she was looking at Nash, who still sat alone in the back.

"He looks like he could use some food, too." Jessica noted. I didn't know what to think of that. Nash was never kind to me when he bullied me with those other guys...

"Why should I give him some?" I asked her.

"Anne, look, he may be a bit of a dick, but he shouldn't go hungry." Jessica told me bluntly.

I was about to say something, but Jackson came back to the driver's window. "All clear, kids. You can come out..."

Jessica and I got out of the pickup as I stretched. It did feel pretty good to get out and stretch my legs after sitting in there for a while.

Nash just stayed in the back of the vehicle, refusing to look up. I frowned a bit at that, but Jackson got my attention as he approached me. "You said you were hungry, right?" I asked him as I offered him my bag. He took out a granola bar at that.

"Thanks, Anne..." he nodded. I then glanced back at Nash again, who was still in the back of the truck. Jessica glanced at me, giving me a look that basically said 'So, what're you gonna do?'

I looked down at the food in my bag before I sighed, shaking my head. Screw it...

Reluctantly, I headed over to the back of the truck. "Hey..." I greeted Nash.

He looked up, scowling in my direction. "What do YOU want, Cyclops?"

"You look pretty hungry." I replied, frowning at what he called me as I offered him a sandwich. He stared down at it for a second before glaring at me.

"I don't want any food from you."

Jerk...

I frowned even more in reply, thrusting the sandwich forward. "Look, just take the stupid sandwich already!"

"I said I don't want it, loser!"

"Nash." Jackson said sharply, getting our attention. "The girl's offering you something to eat, so take it. Do you wanna go hungry?"

The boy looked back at me before looking down for a moment, clenching his fist. "Fine..." he relented as he took the food out of my hand.

"You're welcome." I deadpanned, crossing my arms. I then reached into my bag to get another granola bar out to eat, but Jackson stopped me.

"Hey, hey, you might wanna hold off on that." he told me. "We don't know where we'll stop next and we don't know if it might have some food there, so you're gonna wanna have to make that last."

I looked down at the granola bar in my hand before slipping it back into the bag. "You're right..." I muttered with a sigh, even though I wanted to eat some more. I was still pretty hungry...

"So, Officer Jackson, you mentioned that you could get us to a safe zone if we didn't find Anne's grandpa, right?" Jessica brought up.

He glanced over at her. "If there is one, yes. But I don't know where the nearest one is. So it's just gonna be us until we find one, I suppose."

"But what if there isn't one?" I asked. What if there was no safe-zones anywhere? What if there was, but it was too far away?

"... then we'll find a safe place to stay for a bit." the officer told me after a moment.

"Maybe that lady you were talking to on the radio earlier could help?" Jessica suggested.

"Linda? She might be able to, but I don't know. I don't even know where she is right now."

A familiar wheezing and groaning noise suddenly filled the air. I hesitantly glanced back and my eyes widened. "Uh... guys...?"

There were several infected stumbling down the road toward our direction, all groaning and snarling. My heart started beating faster with fear as they started to get closer.

Nash's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh crap... there's more of those things!"

"Shit..." Jackson swore as he saw them before hurriedly jogging over to the driver's side. "Get in! Hurry!"

Jessica jumped in first before holding her hand out to me, pulling me in as well. Jackson started the truck back up while Nash just stayed in the back, holding onto the side tightly. "Come on, come on..." he growled as he kept turning the keys in the ignition to get the car running.

"They're getting closer!" Nash called to us. I dared to look back and saw that they were just within about five feet of us now. Crap, come on!

Finally, the engine roared to life as Jackson slammed his foot down on the accelerator, speeding off just as the dead got close enough that they almost grabbed the truck.

I sighed with relief, slouching in my seat. That was a close one...


End file.
